We once again headed into Melbourne Zoo to take advantage of the early opening times and hopefully catch sight of Miska, the beautiful snow leopard, like we did on our last visit. Arriving shortly before the gates opened at 8am, we queued with other eager visitors. Once the gates opened we headed directly for the Carnivore’s Trail, passing by the empty Lion enclosure (the boys were still in their beds) we found that there were some necessary works going on and Carnivore’s Trail was closed until 9am, so we checked in on Isabella, the Philippines Crocodile.
The Philippines Crocodile is listed as critically endangered on the ICUN Red List with less than 200 mature adults estimated to remain in the wild. Zoos Victoria is part of the captive breeding program working hard to ensure the survival of this marvellous reptile.
We were lucky enough to find Isabella happily "hanging" in the water, seemingly adjusting her gaze directly at us, giving us a good look at her eye.
Also located near to Isabella in Lion Gorge are a couple of frogs, a python, a praying mantis and a chameleon. Chameleons have amazing eyes that are able to be moved independently and this curious individual gave us a good close-up demonstration.
Next we looked in on the African Wild Dogs as they rolled about in the grass as part of their morning ritual. These predators will relentlessly chase their prey, often to the point where the prey collapses from exhaustion. Unfortunately they are classified as endangered on the ICUN Red List mostly due to habitat fragmentation.
Watching these "Painted Hunting Dogs" starting their morning off with a bit of social sitting about in the morning sun reminded us of the way the Lemurs and Meerkats like to warm up in the sun. With time still available till the Carnivore’s Trail was due to open, we headed over towards the nearby Meerkats to check out how they were doing in the early morning sun. Arriving at their enclosure however, we were surprised to discover that no-one was on sentry duty except for some Superb Fairy Wrens:
Eventually one of the Meerkats decided that a sentry was needed, giving us a great opportunity to photograph these cute little mammals:
Finally the clock rolled around to 9am and we were able to go and visit Indrah, the Sumatran tiger.
Indrah seemed to be a little irritated by some ducks that dared to swim in HER pond.
Meanwhile the lions had come outside and settled down to nap again, just like most cats like to do.
Next on our list to visit was the Reptile House and a first stop with the Fresh-water Crocodile.
A favourite in the Reptile House is the Death Adder who is often difficult to spot given the camouflage for its surroundings.
Of course, the Death Adder is not the only snake in the Reptile House:
A very unique snake is the Eyelash Viper:
But snakes are only one kind of reptile, there are also the Geckos
And Lizards
This Python, however, tried to remind us about the world of snakes by demonstrating its ability to climb a vertical glass wall
While the Frilled-neck lizard posed silently for us
And the Blue-Tongue moved slowly to allow us to photograph it well.
The Reptile House provides a great opportunity to get great shots of some of the more exotic reptiles. At the same time, it is important not to spend one’s entire visit in the Reptile House as Melbourne Zoo has so much to offer. Moving on we came to the Hamadryas Baboons in time for the Keeper talk.
We were already aware that there were a few youngsters in the troop, …
… but did not know that a new baby had been born only a few weeks prior.
Watching the troop with the new baby it was hard to decide who was watching whom:
But mum and baby were a clear highlight.
Next on our list was the Great Flight Aviary:
Followed by the Lace Monitor
And Kookaburra
Soon it was time for a break and lunch so we stopped in at the Japanese Garden. Nearby the Siamangs were also having lunch.
The Red Panda, however, seemed to be poking fun, or at least a tongue at us:
Checking in on the Gorillas, we found Kanzi looking like she had been sent to the “naughty corner”
After enjoying a good lunch in the Japanese Garden, it was time to visit the Trail of Elephant with as first stop at the Sumatran tigers. Hutan was pacing about, clearly aware that his lunchtime was at hand, but thankfully willing to stop and pose for photos.
Shortly after, Hutan disappeared behind the scenes to have his lunch and we waited for the Keeper talk, knowing that Binjai would soon be released into the enclosure. It wasn’t long till those involved in the close encounter entered the enclosure to spread scent around for Binjai’s enrichment.
Included in her enrichment was a cardboard box full of straw
and like most cats, she first tried to use the rule “if it fits, I sits”
before discovering the scents left earlier were too interesting to ignore.
Soon we had to leave Binjai to her enrichment activities as it came closer to time for us to meet up with our guide for the Lemur Experience. We went through the briefing and headed into Lemur Island ready to have an intimate experience with these primates.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before we had a couple of lemurs sitting on our laps, enjoying their regular afternoon treat.
Did you know that the Ring-tailed Lemur is in fact a primate, just like us humans? Ring-tailed lemurs are also sociable animals living in groups of around 30 with the females as the dominant members of the group (a common trait amongst lemurs). Ring-tailed lemur’s like to warm up in the early morning sun, often sitting, facing the sun and looking like they are doing yoga. They are also omnivores, but mostly eat fruit and leaves.
Did you also know that the Ring-tailed Lemur is listed as an ENDANGERED species? Ring-tailed lemurs are native to Madagascar but are under increasing threat of extinction due to habit loss, fragmentation of their population and hunting for the “bush meat” trade.
All photos shown here are unedited (other than compression to jpeg format). All rights reserved.